The alpha I hated

Chapter 15:The Demon Lord

LUCIEN'S POV

"But if she was locked away, how did she get into Daisy?" Noah asked.

"The ancient ones," she said. "When they performed their ritual to drain Daisy's power, they must have accidentally created a crack in Pyritha's prison. And Daisy, with all that power flowing through her, became the perfect host."

Outside, Pyritha was getting impatient.

"I'm going to count to ten," she called. "If you don't come out by then, I'll burn down the entire castle with everyone inside."

"One."

We looked at each other desperately.

"Two."

"There has to be something we can do," Noah said.

"Three."

"The binding spell," Daisy's mother said suddenly. "The one we used to trap her before. If we can get close enough, if we can perform the ritual again..."

"Four."

"But you said we can't get near her because of the fire," I pointed out.

"Five."

"Not all of us," she said, looking at me meaningfully. "But vampires are naturally resistant to fire. More resistant than werewolves, anyway."

"Six."

"You want me to get close to her?" I asked. "She'll kill me."

"Seven."

"Maybe," she said. "Or maybe she'll be curious enough about why you're not running away to listen to what you have to say."

"Eight."

"And what exactly would I say to her?" I asked.

"Nine."

"Tell her you know how to free her from Daisy's body," she said quickly. "Tell her you know a way to give her a body of her own."

"Ten."

The entire castle suddenly filled with intense heat. I could hear the wooden furniture in the other rooms beginning to smoke.

"Time's up," Pyritha called.

That's when I made a decision that probably saved all of our lives, but definitely changed everything that happened after.

"Wait!" I shouted, running to the window. "I'll come out!"

The heat in the castle immediately stopped getting worse.

"Lucien, no," Noah said.

"I have to," I said. "It's the only way."

I ran down to the castle entrance and stepped outside. The heat hit me like a physical force, but I forced myself to keep walking toward Pyritha.

She watched me approach with those terrible white eyes.

"Brave little vampire," she said when I was about ten feet away from her. Any closer and I think my skin would have started to melt. "Or perhaps just foolish."

"I have something you want," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Oh? And what might that be?"

"A way to get your own body," I said. "A way to leave Daisy alone and still remain free."

Pyritha tilted her head, curious.

"Explain."

"There's a ritual," I lied, hoping I sounded convincing. "A way to create a new body from fire and magic. But it requires very specific ingredients."

"What ingredients?"

I thought fast, trying to remember everything I knew about vampire magic and ancient rituals.

"Blood from the original hybrid," I said. "Hair from a vampire lord who has died and been preserved. And..."

I paused, pretending to be reluctant to continue.

"And?" Pyritha demanded.

"And the willing sacrifice of someone who has been touched by both vampire and werewolf magic," I finished.

Pyritha's eyes narrowed. "You're talking about yourself."

"I'm talking about a way for you to be free without destroying an innocent girl," I said.

"Innocent?" Pyritha laughed, and the sound made the remaining glass in the castle windows crack. "The girl invited me in. She opened her mind and heart to power she didn't understand. She made herself a perfect vessel."

"But you don't need her anymore," I said. "Not if you have your own body."

Pyritha was quiet for a long moment, considering my offer.

"Even if such a ritual existed," she said finally, "why would you be willing to sacrifice yourself? You've spent this entire night trying to save your own skin."

That was a good question. And honestly, I wasn't sure I had a good answer.

"Because," I said slowly, "maybe I'm tired of being the villain in everyone else's story."

Pyritha stared at me for what felt like forever.

"Interesting," she said. "You're lying about the ritual, of course. No such spell exists."

My heart sank.

"But," she continued, "you're telling the truth about being tired of being the villain. I can see it in your soul."

She took a step toward me, and I could feel the heat getting more intense.

"Tell me, little vampire," she said. "If I offered you real power - not just the crown and staff, but the power of flame itself - would you take it?"

I looked into her burning white eyes and realized that this was the moment that would decide everything. Not just for me, but for everyone.

"No," I said.

Pyritha looked genuinely surprised.

"No?"

"No," I repeated. "Because that kind of power always comes with a price. And I've finally figured out that some prices are too high to pay."

For the first time since she had taken over Daisy's body, Pyritha smiled a smile that didn't look completely evil.

"Now that," she said, "is interesting."

She raised her hand, and I thought she was about to burn me to ash. But instead, the fire around her body began to dim slightly.

"The girl is still fighting," she said. "Even now, she's trying to regain control. She's stronger than I expected."

"Then let her go," I said.

"I could," Pyritha said. "But if I do, I'll need somewhere else to go. And the only other option is the space between life and death."

"You mean you'd die?"

"I mean I'd return to my prison," she said. "And this time, there would be no escape."

I looked back at the castle, where I knew Noah and Daisy's mother were watching and waiting. Then I looked at Pyritha, at the creature wearing Daisy's face.

"What if there was a third option?" I said.

"Such as?"

"What if I could find you a willing host?" I said. "Someone who would choose to share their body with you, instead of having it taken by force."

Pyritha's eyes blazed brighter.

"And who would be foolish enough to make such a choice?"

I took a deep breath.

"Me."

The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. And once they were said, I couldn't take them back.

Pyritha stared at me in amazement.

"You would willingly share your body with the Goddess of Ancient Flame?"

"If it means saving Daisy, yes."

"Even knowing that I might take full control, just as I did with her?"

"Yes."

"Even knowing that the fire might burn away everything that makes you who you are?"

I thought about that question for a moment. Everything that made me who I was... my selfishness, my manipulation, my constant scheming for power. Would it really be such a bad thing if all of that burned away?

"Yes," I said.

Pyritha walked closer to me. The heat was almost unbearable now, but I forced myself not to back away.

"You realize," she said, "that this is probably a trick. That you're probably planning to betray me somehow."

"Probably," I admitted.

"And you realize that I could simply take your body by force, the same way I took hers."

"Yes."

"Then why offer?"

"Because," I said, "maybe it's time I tried to be the hero for once."

Pyritha laughed, but this time the sound was almost... fond.

"Oh, little vampire," she said. "You have no idea what you're asking for."

She reached out and touched my face with one burning finger. I expected it to hurt, but instead it felt warm and strangely comforting.

"But I accept your offer," she said.

The world exploded into white light.

When my vision cleared, I was lying on the ground. My body felt strange, like it was burning from the inside. But I was still conscious. Still me.

And Daisy was lying next to me, unconscious but breathing normally. The fire around her body was gone. She looked human again.

I tried to sit up, but my body felt different. Stronger, but also... hotter. Like there was a fire burning just under my skin.

"Hello, Lucien," a voice said inside my head. Pyritha's voice, but quieter now. Less terrible.

"You're... you're really in here with me," I said out loud.

"I am," she said. "But I'm not taking control. Not yet. I want to see what kind of hero you can be."

I looked over at Daisy, who was starting to wake up. Her eyes opened, and they were their normal color again. Brown, not red, not white.

"Lucien?" she said weakly. "What happened?"

Before I could answer, Noah came running out of the castle. He fell to his knees beside Daisy and pulled her into his arms.

"You're okay," he said, tears in his eyes. "You're really okay."

Daisy looked confused. "I remember... fire. And anger. And something else. Something that wasn't me."

"It's gone now," I said.

She looked at me, and I could see suspicion in her eyes.

"What did you do?" she asked.

"Something stupid," I said. "Something dangerous. Something that might have been the right thing to do for once."

Daisy's mother came out of the castle and knelt beside her daughter.

"The goddess is gone?" she asked me.

"Not gone," I said. "Just... relocated."

I could feel Pyritha laughing inside my mind.

"This should be interesting," she said.

And looking at the three people staring at me with mixtures of gratitude, suspicion, and fear, I had to agree.

This was definitely going to be interesting.

"So what happens now?" Daisy asked.

I looked at her, then at Noah, then at her mother. Three people who had every reason not to trust me, but who were looking to me for answers.

"Now," I said, feeling the fire god burning quietly inside my mind, "we figure out how to live with the choices we've made."

"And the ancient ones?" Noah

asked. "They're still out there."

I smiled, and I could feel heat behind my eyes.

"Let them come," I said. "I have a feeling they're in for a surprise."

Deep inside my mind, Pyritha purred with anticipation.

"Oh yes," she said. "Let them come indeed.”